Pretty Face of Deception
by Claymate
Summary: Mulder and Scully don't have an X-case this time, but Mulder seems to think that this case is definitley strange. UPDATED!
1. Default Chapter

"Okay, Scully, what've got?" Agent Mulder questioned his partner.

"13 year old girl with severe gashes along her arms, abdomen, and legs. Says the step-father did it to her."

"That's not unsual. Why do we have this case?"

"I guess no one else would take it. They were afraid they wouldn't be able to prove it."

Mulder scowled, then shrugged.

"Well, I guess we should get on it, then." Mulder said with a small smile.

&&&&&   
(On Television) "It is believed that that the 41 year old stepfather of Sarah Wilcest, Stanley Cummings, abused the 13 year old physically and emotionly, phyiscally by taking a knife to her stomach, arms, and legs, and cutting them repeatedly. The child has been in tears for the past day. Let us all hope for the best."

Mulder shut the TV off. He'd been watching the news almost all afternoon, and the majority of it was about his and Scully's case. He sat, staring at the blank screen, when he heard knocking.

"It's open. Hey Scully."

"You get anything yet?"

"No rock-hard facts yet. But I have a hunch. Come with me."

"Where're we going?" She asked.

"To Sarah Wilcest's house."

&&&&&&   
"FBI: Special Agents Fox Mulder, and my partner Agent Scully. We have a warrent to search this house and question the victim. May I ask where your step-daughter is?"

Stanley had answered the door, and when Mulder had finished, he looked completley dumbfounded.

"Oh woah, now wait a second...!"

"Sir, if you choose not to tell us, we will be forced to find her ourselves. So, either way, we will end up getting answers."

Stan sighed.

"She's in her room upstairs. But I swear, whatever she tells you, I didn't do nothing!"

"Sir, I think we'll be the one's that."

&&&&&  
This time, Scully spoke.

"Hello. We're Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. We're here to ask you a few questions. Do you mind?"

Sarah was sitting on her bed, and Mulder took notice that there were no tears traceable on her face whatsoever.

"No, of course not." She said.

"Okay." Scully and Mulder took seats opposite each other. Mulder studied the scars on her exposed arms and legs.

"Hey, Scully, if you don't mind, before you start asking questions, I'd like to take a look at something."

Scully had opened her mouth to ask the first question, but shut it now, and shrugged. "Sure."

"Thanks. Now, Sarah, if you would just lay back on the bed for me...there you go."

Mulder lifted up her shirt a little, and saw the scars of the alleged crime commited against her.

"Scully, look at these." Mulder said.

"I see them, so what?"

"Well, they're in a straight line." He said, tracing a finger over one of them. Sarah winced.

"Mulder, don't hurt her." Scully said, spotting it.

Mulder let the shirt down, and lifted her back up.

"Sorry."

She nodded, and Scully proceeded with various question, then they took their turn at searching the house.

&&&&&&  
When they were done, and in their car again, Mulder said,

"I have something to tell you about this so-called case."

Before driving off back to the station.

* * *


	2. Mulder's Supicions

Chapter 2 X-Case.

When they were back at the station, Mulder took Scully aside in a deserted room.

"Mulder, what's the matter with you? You've been acting strange all day.

"Look, when I tell you this, you're going to think it's crazy. It's seems pretty crazy to me, myself. But just hear me out, okay?"

"Okay..." Scully said, sounding confused.

"Good. Now, you remember those scars on her?"

"How could I forget?"

"Then you realised that they were in straight lines?"

"Well. yes, I guess I noticed that. Why?"

"Well, if the stepfather did it, he wouldnt've bothered to put them in such detailed lines, would he?"

"Well, it depends on the person. Did he seem determinized?"

"Not really. When I searched his room, it wasn't orderly at all. And I didn't find any kind of knife, either."

"Bloodspots?" Scully asked, scowling.

Mulder shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Okay." Scully said. "So, back to the original topic."

"I think she's doing it to herself."

Scully's eyes widened.

"Mulder, why on earth would you think something like that?"

A twinkle came in Mulder's eye, but no smile was on his face.

"Told ya you would think it was crazy."

* * *


	3. Hunches

Chapter 3 PFoD

* * *

"We have to go back and tell her our supicions." 

"Mulder, we can't do that! We don't even know if it's true or not yet!"

"Well, today, more and more teens are going into depression. They're cutting, bulimic, anorexic, all of that stuff, and we have no reason to not think that this girl is just one of them who's been through something that she considers a tragedy. Like, her parents getting divorced, and getting a new father, or, a really bad break-up. She's been left out and she wants attention, so she lied to the police and told hem that her stepfather did it. I've heard of cases like this, Scully. Almost all of them turn out the same way."

" 'Almost all' ?" Scully asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mulder didn't answer, just shook his head in frustration.

"Mulder, I know you're concerned. I'm concerned, too. But I just think it's a little early to be jumping to conclusions. If we find something--if we find evidence of your supicions, I promise we'll go over there and confront her. But right now, we don't have solid evidence of anything."

Just then, the door burst open, and Skinner popped his head in the door.

"Guys, it's the step-father."

"What about him?" Asked Mulder.

"He's dead."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"What've we got?"

"What've we got? We don't _got_ nothing. That's what we got." The paramedic next to Mulder said, frusturated.

Scully scowled.

"Wait--what do you mean _nothing?_ You maust've gotten _something _out of this case."

"No. Nothing. No burn marks, slash marks, bruises, internal injuries, no signs of poison, nothing. He's spotless. There's not a scratch on that guy."

"No," Mulder said disbelievingly. "That's not possible."

He ran over to the corpse and inspected it breifly, before turning back to the doctor who had done the autopsy.

"_Nothing?" _

The doctor shook his head.

"Suffucation?" Scully asked.

"We did a thorough search. These was no trace of any kind of fabric, or handprints."

"That's...that's just not possible." He said again in a very sorft voice.

"Unless..."

"Mulder? What's wrong?"

"I'm having a hell of of a time with my hunches, aren't I?"

* * *


End file.
